Rugby Club Issue 55 | Page 50

winchester FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG Winchester W inchester RFC enjoyed a strong campaign this time around and is now looking to use their performances as a platform from which to build. We caught up with Club President and Player Rolf Stratford to find out more about their exciting plans for the future. Images courtesy of Gordon Brown FRPS Involvement He told us, “I’ve been involved for over 30 years, having started as a Colt when my family moved to the Winchester area (1979). The most challenging part of my role is generating funding to maintain running 4 senior and the full range of M&J sides. The most rewarding is when we have a season’s worth of success and stories to share at the club dinners in May - every team has one and they are a great way to reward everyone for their efforts during the year.” Atmosphere “I would say the mood here at the moment is buoyant; the clubhouse has become an established venue finally after a few years of neglect, and we have a full order book for the summer and of course we are gearing up for the RWC which the whole club has been working towards since last August. We achieved an RFU accreditation at the end of last season after much hard work from our Chairman Mark Castle and we are really getting behind women’s rugby next year as it is an area that has dwindled in numbers, the new coaches and girls are very excited about this development.” 2014/15 “We had a third place finish for the First team which gives us a great starting point when fighting for promotion next year. The three other senior teams had enough success to motivate for next year, the 3rd team won their league and the 4ths fielded at least 3 players playing their first ever games of rugby. The Colts reached the last 8 of the National cup competition, losing narrowly to Wolverhampton. The Juniors had a good season again with many successes and tours at the end of the 50 Issue 55 www.winchesterrugby.com - Twitter : @winchesterRFC